Ferdinand and Vidic return for Milan test

Last updated at 11:16 01 May 2007

Manchester United have received a huge boost on the eve of their Champions League trip to Milan with the news that Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are both expected to start after recovering from injury.

The pair, both voted on to the PFA team of the year, have been defensive rocks for the Premiership leaders all season and United have struggled to keep clean sheets in their absence.

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Serbian Vidic broke his collarbone at the end of March against Blackburn while Ferdinand first damaged his groin in the FA Cup semi-final win over Watford.

The England defender aggravated that injury against Middlesbrough in the Premiership, forcing him to miss last week's first leg of the semi-final.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson was optimistic enough over both players to name them in his travelling party.

"It is too early to say whether they will play," said the Scot. "They will travel and we will assess the situation after training tonight."

Ferguson's team carry a slender 3-2 lead into the San Siro and will need to be much tighter at the back to keep Brazilian star Kaka, who netted twice at Old Trafford, quiet.

The return of Ferdinand and Vidic will soften the blow of losing Gary Neville for the rest of the season.

The club's captain appears likely to miss United's pursuit of the Treble as his ankle injury is worse than first feared.

Four of United's key players, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Gabriel Heinze, will line-up tomorrow knowing that a booking will rule them out of the final.

For Scholes, that would be the second time the nightmare scenario has played out, having missed United's dramatic win over Bayern Munich in Barcelona in 1999 after picking up a second yellow card in the semi-final.

However, the 32-year-old insists he will not be changing his game in order to avoid another suspension.

"I won't let the bookings situation bother me," he said. "It is just another game and another chance to get to a Champions League final."

One of the game's most honest individuals, Scholes assesses the situation confronting him with a refreshing lack of sentimentality.

"I don't think of it being more important to get through because of what happened to me last time," he added. "It is a major tournament, one that every team in Europe wants to be involved in.

"It still feels the same as the semi-final was in 1999. We all want to get there and we all want to win it if we do."